FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COM
Falls Church Business News & Notes taim mediterranean kitchen Opens Today Untamed Brands restaurant group opens taim mediterranean kitchen in the Tyson’s Station Center at 7502 Leesburg Pike. The Falls Church Chamber hosts the ribbon cutting ceremony with elected officials at the Grand Opening, 11:00 a.m. today. Taim first opened in New York City’s West Village in 2005 featuring pitas, bowls and salads made from scratch with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean spices. There are numerous locations in New York and New Jersey, and recently expanded locations in Dupont Circle and College Park, Maryland. This is the first location to open in Virginia, with others planned for Fairfax County.
Curbside Composting The City of Falls Church offers residential and business Curbside Composting through Compost Crew, with 60 percent of the fee subsidized by the City. Participants may include meats, seafood, dairy, eggshells, compostable plastics, greasy parts of pizza boxes, and more. The city provides airtight bins and liners for a monthly or annual fee. Discounted rates are available for businesses within the City of Falls Church. Visit the city website for more information. https://compostcrew.com/fallschurch/?ct=t(FocusOnFCJuly20)
Do You Work in the Best Place Virginia Business Magazine is accepting nominations for the 2024 Best Place to Work in Virginia. The Best Companies Group (BCG) is an independent research firm focused on company practices, programs and benefits, and surveys of employees. This is an opportunity for businesses to cultivate company pride, benefit from publicity and marketing, and enhance recruiting efforts. Winners will be featured in Virginia Business Magazine and honored at the awards ceremony. The deadline for nominations is August 18. It is open to public and private companies, nonprofit and government entities, and must have been in business for more than one year. Eligibility and the application are available at bestcompaniesgroup.com/best-places-to-work-in-virginia/wp-content/ uploads/sites/72/2023/05/2024-VA-Handout.pdf.
Business Plan Workshop The Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is hosting a Blueprint Business Plan Workshop on Tuesday, August 2. Angela Kelley will discuss the development of a business plans and financial forecasting plan and participants will follow the process using Microsoft Word or Google Doc, adding their own individual information. At the conclusion of the workshop, participants will have completed a rough draft of a portion of their business plan and have a clear direction for areas needing additional research and supporting documentation. The session runs for four hours, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and the fee is $30.00. To register, visit clients.virginiasbdc. org/workshop.aspx?ekey=140430038.
JULY 27 - AUGUST 2, 2023 | PAGE 31
LTA’s ‘Freaky Friday’ Brings A Lot of Laughs by Patricia Leslie
It’s not a freak show at Little Theatre of Alexandria but a production that is lots of fun with a serious message, too. “Freaky Friday” is a comedrama musical certain to make families with (and without) teens and children of all ages laugh and have a good time as they recognize scenes and conflicts that may just happen from time to time at their own households, but “Freaky” has solutions! It could be any day of the week, but it’s just another school day for Ellie but not for her mother, alas! She’s getting married tomorrow. The wedding magazine writer is coming to cover her wedding and what’s this? A parent conference, a scavenger hunt, and where’s Fletcher? Another argument breaks out between mother and daughter and Mom’s loud voice and singing take charge, just like most moms’. Daughter Ellie (Sofia Cruz) and mother, Katherine (Kristina Friedgen), bicker over an hourglass which shatters and magically transforms each into the other’s body! Take that and see how you like living in my life for a while...you! You! You! And they freak out. Of course. In this exchange, Ellie and Katherine find out what life is like on the other side. Try walking in her shoes for a while, why doncha? Relationships are what it’s all about and “trading places,” awakening sensitivities and sensibilities to more respect and love for someone who’s not me. Just what every family needs! It may take the audience a few moments to catch on, but the skilful portrayals by the two women quickly convey the message about what has just happened. Mom goes to school as daughter faces the reality she’s got to be amorous with her mom’s husband-to-be (Paul Caffrey is Mike). But to hug him like a bride should? Oh, please, spare me! No, kissy kissy, I beg of you! The show has many appealing characters, none more so than the adorable James Campione as Fletcher, Ellie’s little brother who goes missing at the most inopportune
time! But Ellie’s wannabe boyfriend, Adam (Joshua Mutterperl in multiple roles) stumbles upon Fletcher at a bus stop at just the right time where Adam croons a song about sandwiches, no less, comparing them to women. (“Some are hot and some are cold.” You have to be there.) Naja Bates is “Savannah,” Ellie’s antagonist and school competitor whose performance easily convinces the audience she is a very mean girl, indeed! Then there is Torry (Lourdes Turnblom), Katherine’s assistant, hilarious in her histrionics, trying desperately to present her boss’s upcoming wedding to the magazine in the best possible way, flashing her skirt as she prances off stage. A familiar actor, Peter Fannon, appears in multiple roles, most notably as the slow moving stereotypical grandpa. You know the show is going to be a hoot when Fannon is on stage. Director Joanna Henry keeps the large ensemble moving at a good pace, their frequent slow motion dances (by choreographer Stefan Sittig), the most effective slo-mo design I’ve seen. The well crafted set by Myke Taister allows the crew to easily transition scenes from a kitchen, to a school, and bus stop, the latter which JK Lighting segregates on a corner. For the metamorphosis scene, the lighting company created and mixed colored lights and shadows for a magical hourglass showdown which filled the stage like the insides of a kaleidoscope. Adding immense enjoyment is the tenmember band backstage playing under the baton of Christopher A. Tomasino leading the daffy music like songs to biology (“Oh, Biology”). Would you like a frog with that? Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe St., Alexandria, VA 22314, Wednesday through Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 3 p.m. through Aug. 12, 2023. Tickets start at $32 (fees included). Order online (thelittletheatre.com) or call the box office (703-683-0496). Email: boxoffice@ thelittletheatre.com. The Little Theatre has printed programs and is now mask optional.
GDIT Study on Emerging Technology General Dynamics Information Technology digital consulting practice has published the Seeds of Change study revealing that 65 percent of federal agencies are adopting artificial intelligence, 5G, machine learning, quantum computing, virtual and augmented reality, and other emerging technologies to accelerate digital transformation efforts. The poll of over 425 defense, intelligence, and civilian agency officials demonstrates that organizations are moderately to extremely ready to adopt emerging technologies, citing enhanced productivity and increased security as top motivating factors. Business News & Notes is compiled by Elise Neil Bengtson, Executive Director of the Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce. She may be emailed at elise@fallschurchchamber.org.
Kiril French is “Fletcher” and Kristina Friedgen is the mom, “Katherine.” (Photo: Matt Liptak)